Femtocells—building-based wireless access points interfaced with a wired broadband network—are traditionally deployed to improve indoor wireless coverage, and to offload traffic from a mobility radio access network (RAN) operated by a wireless service provider. Improved indoor coverage includes stronger signal, increased bandwidth, and improved reception (e.g., video, sound, or data), ease of session or call initiation, and session or call retention, as well. Offloading traffic from a RAN reduces operational and transport costs for the service provider since a lesser number of end users consumes macro RAN over-the-air radio resources (e.g., radio traffic channels), which are typically limited. With the rapid increase in utilization of communications networks and/or devices, mobile data communications have been continually evolving due to increasing requirements of workforce mobility, and, services provided by femtocells can be extended beyond indoor coverage enhancement.
Typically, femto access points (FAPs) include a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) transmitter for communication with user equipment (UE) within the femtocell coverage area. Traditionally, the femto UMTS transmitter is always on. Always-on femto UMTS transmitters create continuous downlink interference and attract unnecessary Location/Routing area and handover traffic from nearby unauthorized UEs. This interference and signaling can degrade the performance and battery life of the nearby UEs and network elements involved in the signaling flow. Further, traditional femto access control and incoming handovers are signaling-intensive, and limited in the number of unique access point (AP) identifiers available. Upon discovery of new AP, the UE performs extensive signaling activity with many network elements before access is accepted or denied. Especially in the cases where the access is denied (e.g., unauthorized UE), the extensive signaling activity provides substantial amount of overhead.
Further, when femto transmitters are always on, the FAP is unable to utilize scan receiver measurements during periods when the macro network is busiest. Instead, conventional FAPs turns off their UMTS transmitters for a short time at night in order to collect scan receiver measurements. These late night measurements are optimistic because the macro network is not under load. However, femto channel selection decisions based upon these optimistic measurements can cause performance issues at a later time, when the macro network is under load or is busy.